Container with closure tab and pressure release tab on closure tab

ABSTRACT

A beverage container having an end or lid provided with an opening which serves as a pour opening, a pressure release vent and an air intake opening. The opening is covered by a depressible closure tab separable from the container end except at a hinge portion integrally connected to the container end. A pressure release vent tab, smaller in area than the closure tab, is located on the closure tab and hingedly connected to said closure tab. Manual pressure applied to the pressure release vent tab and transferred to the closure tab separates the release tab from the closure tab to open the release vent and facilitate easy separation of the closure tab from the container end to expose the opening in the end for simultaneous discharge of container contents and admission of air into the container. The pressure release tab may also function as a vacuum release means.

United States Patent [191 Werth et al.

[ CONTAINER WITHCLOSURE TAB AND PRESSURE RELEASE TAB 0N CLOSURE TAB [75]Inventors: Elmer D. .Werth, Arvada; Nelson E. Sipe, Denver; Ronald A.Pearce,

Lakewood, all of C010. [73] Assignee: Coors Container Company, Golden,

[22] Filed: Jan. 20, 1972 [21] Appl, No.2 219,258

[52] U.S. Cl 220/44, 220/27 [51] Int. Cl B65d 51/16 [58] Field of Search220/27, 48, 53, 44; 222/541 [56] References Cited I UNITED STATESPATENTS 3,227,304 1/1966 Asbury 220/48 11/1941 Jack 220/27 June 26, 1973Primary Examiner-George T. Hall Attorney-Bertha L. MacGregor [57]ABSTRACT A beverage container having an end or lid provided with anopening which serves as a pour opening, a pressure release vent and anair intake opening. The opening is covered by a depressible closure tabseparable from the container end except at a hinge portion integrallyconnected to the container end. A pressure release vent tab, smaller inarea than the closure tab, is located on the closure tab and hingedlyconnected to said closure tab. Manual pressure applied to the pressurerelease vent tab and transferred to the closure tab separates therelease tab. from the closure tab to open the release vent andfacilitate easy separation of the closure tab from the container end toexpose the opening in the end for simultaneous discharge of containercontents-and admission of air into the container. The pressure releasetab may also function as a vacuum re lease means.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures CONTAINER WITH CLOSURE TAB AND PRESSURERELEASE TAB ON CLOSURE TAB This invention relates to a container havingan end or lid provided with an opening which serves as a pour opening, apressure release vent and an air intake opening, covered by adepressible closure tab hingedly connected to the container end andseparable from the said end to expose the opening. A depressible releasevent tab, smaller in area than the closure tab, is located on theclosure tab, and is separable from the closure tab to expose part of theopening. Manual pressure applied to the pressure release vent tab istransferred to the closure tab to separate the release vent tab to openthe release vent and facilitate easy separation of the closure tab fromthe container end to expose the opening for simultaneous discharge ofcontainer contents and admission of air into the container.

Pour opening closures of the depressible tab type and method of formingsame have been described in an application for United States patent ofElmer D. Werth, Nelson E. Sipe and Clarence J. Carlson, Ser. No. 202,252filed Nov. 26, 1971, under the title Frangible Closure for ContainerLids and Method of Forming Same. Containers provided with closuremembers for pour openings and separate pressure release means have beendescribed in an application for United States patent of Elmer D. Werth,Ser. No. 198,188 filed Nov. 12, 1971, under the title Container withClosure for Pour Opening and Pressure and Vacuum Release Means.

The object of this invention is to provide a container end or lid with acombined pour opening and release vent, and with a closure tab and apressure release vent tab relatively small in area located on theclosure tab. In this embodiment of the invention, the release vent whenopened by depressing the smaller tab serves to release pressure withinthe container to facilitate easy separation of the pour opening closure,and to admit air to facilitate free pouring of the container contentsthrough the pour opening when the larger closure tab has been depressed.

The advantage of locating the release vent tab on the closure tab in theconstruction of this invention is twofold: first, cost of manufacture isdecreased substantially as compared to the construction described in theaforementioned application of Elmer D. Werth, where the release vent isseparatefrom the pour opening, and the release vent tab is separate andspaced from the closure tab; and secondly, both the release vent tab andthe closure tab are depressible by the. pressure of the users thumbapplied to the release vent closure tab and transmitted to the closuretab in a single operation which first exposes the release vent and thenthe pour opening. This single operation consists of initially m0,-mentarily applying pressure on the release vent tab and transmitting thepressure to the closure tab.

The objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe drawings and following specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view ofa container end or lid provided with thecombination pour opening closure and pressure release vent tab embodyingthe invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a container end provided with a modifiedform of closure members embodying the invention.

FIG. 3 shows an elevational side view of a container embodying theinvention, in content pouring position, showing the release vent tab andthe pour opening closure tab in their depressed positions.

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, inthe plane of the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

The invention is shown herein as embodied in a can 10 of the type usedfor containing beer, fruit juices and other liquids. The can is providedwith an end or lid 11 mounted on the cylindrical body 12 by a rim orchime 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the end 11 of the container is provided with a pouropening closure 15 of the tab type, formed by cutting the lid 11 on theline 16 to make an opening which is a combination pour opening, pressureor vacuum release vent and air intake opening. The tab 15 is hingedlyconnected to the lid 11 by the uncut portion 17 of the metal, forexample, aluminum, of which the container is made. The hinge 17 islocated at one end of the elongated tab, toward the center of the lid 11and removed from the rim 13. In the process of manufacture, the tab 15is spread or enlarged after it has been cut on the line 16, to provide amarginal portion 18 designed to underlie the edge 19 of the lid 11 (FIG.4) adjacent the opening 211 (FIG. 3).

A pressure and/or vacuum release vent which is the inner part of thepour opening 20, is closed by a closure 21 of the tab type integral withthe closure 15. The release vent tab 21 is formed by cutting on the line22 in the closure tab 15 except at the hinge portion 17. After the tab21 has been severed from the tab 15, it is enlarged or spread to providea marginal edge 23 which underlies the edge 24 (FIG. 4) of the tab 15.As shown in FIG. 4, the part of the hinge 17 of the closure tab 15 whichmerges into the release vent tab 21 is indicated at 17'. The pressurerelease vent and its closure tab 21 are located closely adjacent theinner end of the elongated closure tab 15, that is, near the center ofthe lid 11 and removed from the opposite end of the tab 15 that iscloser to the rim 13.

After the closure tab 15 and the release vent tab 21 have been formed bycutting on the respective lines 16 and 22, and spread to enlarge them tothe underlying positions shown in FIG. 4, an adhesive sealant 30 in theform of a coating or patch is applied to the underside ofthe lid 11 andtabs 15 and 21 to retain the underlying edges of the tabs in sealedrelationship to the overlying surfaces.

In the modification shown in FIG. 2, the end or lid 11 has the combinedpour opening, release vent and air intake opening closed by a closure 25and a release vent tab 26, similar to the closure tab 15 and release tab21, respectively, heretofore described, excepting as to the shape of theclosure 25 which is circular instead of elongated. The release vent tab26 is located in the closure tab 25 adjacent the hinge 27 which servesas a hinge connection between the tabs 25, 2b, and the lid 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the release vent tab 21 has been depressed manuallyto expose part of the opening 211 to release pressure in the container10, and the closure tab 15 has been depressed to expose the larger partof the opening 20 to permit the container contents to be discharged orconsumed directly from the can 10. The tabs 15 and 21 remain hingedlyconnected to the lid by the hinge portions 17, 17' (FIG. 1) and the tabs25, 26 remain hingedly connected to the lid by hinge portions 27. Ineither modification, the release vent portion of the opening 20 servesto admit air while the can contents are being poured from that part ofthe opening 20 nearest the rim 13. The broken line 31 in FIG. 3indicates the beverage level in the container while the contents arebeing discharged, and shows the inner end of the opening 20, initiallyclosed by the release vent tab 21, free to admit air into the container.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the pressure and vacuum releasevent tab 21 is in a plane slightly above that of the upper surface ofthe closure tab 15, so that pressure of the users thumb initiallyapplied to depress the tab 21 is automatically and practicallysimultaneously transmitted or transferred to the tab 15. Thus the act ofreleasing pressure and thereby facilitating the easy depressing of thelarger tab for exposing the opening are performed in one operationwithout withdrawing the thumb or other finger from the tab area.

It is to be understood that reference in the claims to pressure releasemeans includes vacuum release means, depending on whether the containercontents are under pressure or vacuum.

We claim:

1. A beverage container having an end provided with an opening that is apour opening, a pressure release vent and an air intake, comprising a. adepressible closure tab covering the opening in the container endseparable from the container end except at a hinge portion,

b. a hinge integral with the closure tab and container end, and

c. a pressure release vent tab smaller in area than the closure tablocated on the closure tab and hingedly connected to said closure tab,said release vent tab being depressible by manually applied pressure toexpose part of the opening in the container end and to release pressurefrom the container, and the closure tab being depressible by saidmanually applied pressure to expose the opening for simultaneous pouringof the container contents and admission of the air into the container.

2. The container defined by claim 1, in which the closure tab iselongated in a radial direction and the hinge connecting the closure tabto the container end is located at the closure tab end nearest thecenter of the container end.

3. The container defined by claim 1, in which the pressure release venttab is located on the closure tab adjacent the hinge which connects theclosure tab to the container end.

4. The container defined by claim 2, in which the pressure release venttab is located on the closure tab adjacent the hinge which connects theclosure tab to the container end.

5. The container defined by claim 1, in which the part of the releasevent tab which is hingedly connected to the closure tab merges into thehinge integral with the closure tab and container end.

6. The container defined by claim 1, in which the closure tab iscircular in form and separable from the container end on a generallycircular line interrupted by the hinge integral with the closure tab andcontainer end.

7. The container defined by claim 2, in which the end of the elongatedclosure tab opposite the hinged end is located adjacent the rim of thecontainer end.

8. The container defined by claim 1, in which the container end has asealant coating or patch applied to its under side to underlie theclosure tab and release vent tab and maintain them in container sealingrelationship to the container end.

9. The container defined by the claim 1, in which the upper surface ofthe release vent tab is in a plane slightly above the plane of theexposed surface of the closure tab.

1. A beverage container having an end provided with an opening that is apour opening, a pressure release vent and an air intake, comprising a. adepressible closure tab covering the opening in the container endseparable from the container end except at a hinge portion, b. a hingeintegral with the closure tab and container end, and c. a pressurerelease vent tab smaller in area than the closure tab located on theclosure tab and hingedly connected to said closure tab, said releasevent tab being depressible by manually applied pressure to expose partof the opening in the container end and to release pressure from thecontainer, and the closure tab being depressible by said manuallyapplied pressure to expose the opening for simultaneous pouring of thecontainer contents and admission of the air into the container.
 2. Thecontainer defined by claim 1, in which the closure tab is elongated in aradial direction and the hinge connecting the closure tab to thecontainer end is located at the closure tab end nearest the center ofthe container end.
 3. The container defined by claim 1, in which thepressure release vent tab is located on the closure tab adjacent thehinge which connects the closure tab to the container end.
 4. Thecontainer defined by claim 2, in which the pressure release vent tab islocated on the closure tab adjacent the hinge which connects the closuretab to the container end.
 5. The container defined by claim 1, in whichthe part of the release vent tab which is hingedly connected to theclosure tab merges into the hinge integral with the closure tab andcontainer end.
 6. The container defined by claim 1, in which the closuretab is circular in form and separable from the container end on agenerally circular line interrupted by the hinge integral with theclosure tab and container end.
 7. The container defined by claim 2, inwhich the end of the elongated closure tab opposite the hinged end islocated adjacent the rim of the container end.
 8. The container definedby claim 1, in which the container end has a sealant coating or patchapplied to its under side to underlie the closure tab and release venttab and maintain them in container sealing relationship to the containerend.
 9. The container defined by the claim 1, in which the upper surfaceof the release vent tab is in a plane slightly above the plane of theexposed surface of the closure tab.